This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
The Latest
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News What coronavirus? Haredi indoor weddings are booming in New York
Guards are installed at the doors, entrance lights are turned off, and guests are asked not to share on social media: That’s how some Orthodox weddings are being organized today, taking place indoors. “Most problems of weddings end with hiring a guard who stands at the door and watches that more than fifty people shouldn’t…
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Fast Forward COVID spikes in NYC Orthodox neighborhoods, large weddings eyed as culprit
(JTA) – Rising fears about a second wave of coronavirus cases in New York City’s Orthodox communities appear to be coming to pass, with the proportion of tests turning up cases of the disease more than four times the citywide rate in one heavily Orthodox neighborhood in newly released data from late August. Meanwhile, rising…
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Life 7 Jewish lifestyle luminaries advise: How to set up your space for praying, hosting
High Holidays at home — it’s not an easy prospect. Small suppers are replacing extended family gatherings. The blasts of the shofar are sounding at a distance. For many Conservative and Reform Jews, the most important services of the year will take place in the living room. Whether you open your house to the hordes…
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Culture In Scotland’s pubs, a Jewish artist found her home. Then came the lockdown.
I am writing from my attic apartment situated across from the Royal Portrait Gallery, a red brick neoclassical building bedecked with many, many life-sized statues of important, snooty-looking men, on Queen Street in Edinburgh. One such figure, wearing knee britches and sporting an unimpressive pompadour, faces my window at eye level. I get the odd…
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Life Consider the seder: a pandemic-proof, traditional way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Looking for a pandemic-proof way to celebrate the New Year? Consider the seder — It’s not just for Passover. Of course, many Askhenazi Jews associate seders primarily with the exodus from Egypt. But Rosh Hashanah has its own long tradition of ritual meals. First mentioned in the Talmud, the Rosh Hashanah seder evolved over centuries…
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The Schmooze At the VMAs, Jewish rapper Doja Cat reminded us that flirting used to be a thing
Just imagine: It’s a Saturday night and you’re waiting in line for a club while cheek-kissing friends outside your pod and showing off a skin-tight dress whose “pockets” accommodate neither hand sanitizer nor nitrile gloves. The bouncer handles all your belongings and admits with nary a body scan or temperature check. Once inside, you share…
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Life ‘It’s not the same’: Jewish campus life goes virtual
(JTA) — When Abigail Adams decided to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she thought she would spend the Friday nights of her first year there at Shabbat dinners on campus with other Jewish students, building a close-knit group of friends. By the time Adams moved into her dorm earlier this month,…
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Life How to get the most out of virtual High Holiday services
If you’re planning to attend High Holiday services virtually, like thousands of American Jews, welcoming the new year might seem easier than ever before. There’s no need to wriggle into pantyhose, find parking, or put up with your in-laws at dinner. In fact, all you need to do is roll out of bed, turn on…
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News An Israeli restaurant chain said it closed due to boycotts. Protesters are celebrating.
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Opinion Jews are worried about Zohran Mamdani. Here’s why they shouldn’t be
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News Should synagogues remove the Israeli flag from bimahs now? How a New York shul made the decision
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Film & TV What the new season of ‘Nobody Wants This’ gets right — and very wrong — about Judaism
In Case You Missed It
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Film & TV In ‘Coexistence, My Ass!’ the anxiety of an Israeli influencer
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Fast Forward She survived the Tree of Life massacre seven years ago today — and still shows up to pray
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Fast Forward Trump sets deadline for Hamas to release hostages’ bodies as Egyptian team enters Gaza to help
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Fast Forward Ireland elects left-wing politician with record of anti-Israel rhetoric as president
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